Betrayal
by theDarkestZero
Summary: In Twilight Town, nothing is at all what it seems. For when you are lost in a sea of betrayal and the person you've known for so long is a part of it, how would you react? Kairi Hikari finds out the biggest truth that has changed her life forever, and her brother Lea Kasai is the main source. Join these two and more on a tale of sorrow, in order to save their family's freedom.
1. Gangs

**Chapter 1: Gangs**

Twilight High was the most beautiful and classy place in all of Twilight Town. And that's really saying something. If you attended Twilight High, that means you're a child of one of the wealthiest families in town. But Twilight Town wasn't all glimmer and sunshine. It got its name 'Twilight' for a reason

For behind every city or town, there is a dark and serious plot unfolding right underneath everyone's noses. Kairi Hikari was one of those people who didn't know what this town had in store.

She had perfect grades, a tremendous social life, she was daughter to Aerith Gainsborough, famous supermodel, and she had guys lining up to ask her out. But there was not a one she actually _did _like. When she approached her locker and punched in the combination, her best friend and half-sister Naminé Shiro walked up to her.

They had different last names; they had the same mom, yet different dads. They were pretty much abandoned by their fathers at around the same time. The reason being, Aerith hadn't realized she was pregnant with Kairi until after she was pregnant with Naminé, a few months after she had dumped Kairi's father.

"Hey, Nami," Kairi said with a smile. "Did you ace Mr. Ansem's history test?" When Nami smiled and nodded, nearly jumping up and down with excitement, Kairi gripped Nami's hands and said, "That's great! I knew you could do it!"

"Well, if it weren't for your tutoring," Nami said. "I would have never passed with all answers correct. Kairi, thanks."

"No thanks necessary, Nami," Kairi said smiling. "Say, Naminé, you haven't see Lea today, have you? Mom's going to flip when she figures out he skipped school today. Big time."

Lea Kasai was Kairi and Naminé's half-brother. It seemed to be a trend that a random man went to Aerith Gainsborough, they would 'make love', Aerith would get pregnant, and then the man up and vanishes out of his child's life. So Kairi, Naminé, and Lea all came from different fathers.

"Probably out somewhere getting drunk, as usual," Nami said with a frown, using her index finger to readjust her glasses. She was cute when she did that. It made all the guys go gaga for her as well. "He hangs out with the wrong crowd."

"Talking about Lea?" a voice asked, and wrapping her arms around Kairi's neck was her other best friend, Selphie Tilmitt, her curly brown hair bouncing as she wiggled around while grabbing hold of Kairi's neck. "Heya!"

"Why?" Kairi asked, turning to see Selphie. "Have you seen Lea?"

Selphie nodded. "Tidus said he saw him walking behind the school with about four other guys. They seemed to all wear hoods though."

"What is Lea thinking?" Kairi asked, lifting up her phone. "Hoods? Is he part of some underground gang or something?" She started punching in the numbers to Lea's phone. When she held it up to her ear, it immediately was sent to voicemail.

"That's it, I'm going find him," Kairi muttered, pushing passed Nami and Selphie without saying another word. She walked straight out of the school, made a left and headed past a sharp corner. She now found herself walking down the alley to the side of the school, where the school keeps its trash. "Come on, Lea, where are you?"

"So is that all the money you owe him?" a rather menacing voice said from farther up ahead. Kairi covered her mouth to stop her rapid breathing, and she flung herself against the wall of the school to avoid being seen.

She would've stayed completely silent, if it weren't for the emo boy standing next to her, his steel-blue hair covering his right eye and flowing in the breeze.

Kairi nearly shrieked out loud, but the boy put his hand over her lips. Kairi's breathing returned to normal. It was just Ienzo, Twilight Town's teen news reporter who works for the Daily Sunset.

Kairi ignored him and went back to listening to that voice she had heard. "—'s been a long time since you paid your debt, man. The boss man ain't gonna like that one bit."

"Nah, it's alright, Braig, I've got things covered," replied a voice sounding vaguely like Lea's. "I'll continue to slip money out here and there, to avoid being caught. But if I do get caught, then what'll he do?"

"Kill the lot of you," another voice replied in a strong British accent. "If you get caught and that money gets put somewhere else, we'll have no reason to let ya'll live any longer. You blokes have it coming—"

"You'll not lay a finger on them," Lea's voice replied. "I'll make sure I won't get caught. Tell 'im I said that. Now get out before I get _my _people to _escort _you out. Got it, Rould? Braig?"

"Yes sir, understood, brah," Braig's voice had said, and then Kairi and Ienzo heard footsteps.

"Oh, god," Kairi muttered.

"Quick, let's get away!" Ienzo whispered, grabbed hold of Kairi's hand, and the two rushed out of the alley and onto the steps in front of the school. "Sheesh, Mr. Even Sunset does not pay me enough for this."

"Was that Lea?" Kairi asked worriedly. Ienzo could see that she was trembling. Ienzo didn't really care what else would have happened, so he started walking off. "Wait, Ienzo! You're gonna post this story online? We've gotta get people involved! Actually, don't, Lea will get in MAJOR trouble. Just what happened back there?"

"Simple," Ienzo answered her question. "Twilight Town is full of gangs. The main gangs being the Fiery Hot Assassins and the Berserk Midnight Crusaders. They basically destroyed nearly every gang out there. If that really was Lea, then I'm afraid your brother is part of a gang."

Ienzo didn't bother elaborating any further and walked away without hesitation. Kairi needed a moment of peace now. As she sat down on the steps, she was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Lea could be some kind of mafia boss. But whose money was he giving away?

Kairi was ready to go back down that alley when the bell had rung. _Shoot!_ She had to wait. She had to continue school as normal. As if her life would be normal again. Lea was a mafia boss of sorts, and Kairi was going to be dragged into this one way or another.

She continued her classes, had many guys flirt with her, and then headed home for the day afterwards. Naminé and Selphie accompanied her. They walked towards Kairi and Nami's house, soon leaving behind Selphie as she had reached her home, and no sooner than when they arrived at their destination that Lea was already pounding on the house door.

"Lea?" Nami asked, rushing to the spikey redhead. They had no idea how his hair possessed that fiery color, as Aerith had brown hair and his father had black hair. He seemed like a special case. "Lea, why are you—"

"Lend me the _key_, why don't ya?" Lea muttered, stumbling backwards. They then noticed the bottle of cold beer in his hand. Knowing Lea, this was one of a dozen he had stashed in a cooler in his truck.

Whereas Kairi and Naminé were sixteen and fifteen, respectively, Lea was nineteen and way more irresponsible.

Lea glared at the girls and said, "Open the damn door, I'm thirsty." Before he began speaking again, he took a long swig of his beer. "Come on, Kai…just open it…"

"Hold up, Lea," Kairi said in a very annoyed tone, bending down and removing a key from under the mat at the doorstep.

"What's that for?" Lea asked, making Kairi stomp her foot in disgust.

Kairi unlocked the door, and Lea rushed in, nearly knocking Kairi to the side. Luckily for her, Nami had caught her. "His drinking habits seem worse, don't they, Kai?"

"Exactly," Kairi replied. "Mom isn't gonna be too happy about this." She stepped in the house and smiled at the wonderful fragrance emanating off of the walls and furniture. It was, however, soon replaced by the foul smell of Lea's putrid beer. "Lea, stop dr—" She couldn't finish her sentence.

Her bright yellow dog with oddly long black ears bounded up to her, jumped up, and tackled Kairi to the ground. "Pluto…Pluto, get off!" Kairi was able to push off the dog. "Good boy. Do mama a favor and go catch the mail in the back yard."

Pluto instinctively raised an ear and ran in the complete opposite direction. Kairi laughed even though she felt miserable, and she heard Lea start to cough.

Kairi looked to Lea who was frantically searching the fridge. "Where the hell is all the _beer_!?" Kairi wanted to tell him he had them in the truck, but she was too lazy to do so. "Kairi, tell me the truth…what do you know about my life? Nothing. You know nothing. Now quit being stuck up my ass like some lost puppy and quit askin'."

"But I wasn't—"

"Nah, nah, Lea's always right," Lea muttered, belching. "Got it…memorized?"

"Whatever," Kairi replied. "NAMINÉ!" Nami poked her head from behind a corner leading to her room. "Nami, do you wanna go sleep at Selphie's tonight? Lea doesn't look too sane."

"Am I too hot for you?" Lea asked in a seductive tone. "Do I make you edgy? Do I make you uncomfortable? I can change that…" Lea started walking forward.

Kairi had to think of something fast. "Don't…don't…" she muttered, calming Lea. "I overheard you earlier with a few people… who's debt do you need to pay? Are you in a gang?"

For that brief moment, Lea seemed a little sane, snapping back to reality. "I don't know what you're talking about. Kai, Nami, maybe you two should head to a friend's house. I need to be getting to bed."

Now Kairi was very confused, and maybe a little sad for the older half-brother. "Lea, who's money are you giving away and who is receiving it?"

"I don't wanna give away any secrets," Lea muttered, inching close to Kairi. "But you know all that money Mom has in her safe? Well, let's just say it ain't so safe anymore…" He belched again.

"You're giving our money away?" Nami asked from her bedroom. Kairi noticed she had been shaking in her room since they had got here.

"You were bound to find out at some point or another," Lea said, actually now acting like a normal person rather than a drunken one. "This gang, the Berserk Midnight Crusaders, is out for money and power. Seeing as Mother is one of the richest, the leader of the gang targeted her. But…they either get the money, or they harm all of you and get you guys killed."

"Who's the leader?" Kairi asked with a frown, wanting to know what punk is playing her family like a sitar.

Lea looked to the ceiling as if expecting helicopters to be appearing in the sky and dropping bombs on them. "…Isa Tsukiakari. That's his name. He dropped outta school a year and a half ago."

"Wasn't he one of your friends—"

"I think you two should leave," Lea interrupted. "Go and spend the night at Selphie's. Maybe get Olette to join. Just stay far away from all this stuff where you don't belong."

Kairi shook her head, hoping every last bit of this fairytale would vanish. It didn't. She called upon Naminé to follow her out, and the two exited the house, not looking back at Lea.

They had a lot of explaining to do when Selphie opened the door to her house. Kairi and Nami entered without telling her anything at first, and eventually Olette had joined the sleep-over.

Kairi had finally spilled everything about Lea, and the gang he's up against. The _Berserk Midnight Crusaders_. This guy, Isa, who controlled the gang, used to be Lea's best friend if Kairi remembered correctly.

What had happened to those two, Kairi did not know. Kairi decided not to mess with that topic.

0-X-0

Lea clutched his head as he lay on the couch at his house, shirtless, barefoot, and only in his boxers. The effects of the beer were wearing off, and he was finally able to think straight again.

He didn't hear knocking, yet wasn't startled when he noticed two people standing in the doorway. Braig and Rould. Braig was a tad old and had a long ponytail and a black eye patch over his left eye. Rould had golden blonde hair with a goatee-beard and lots of piercings on his ears.

Both of them had on black hooded cloaks.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Lea asked, obviously not surprised. He stood up and scratched his chest. "Here for the payment?" He walked over to the safe that was just on the shelf underneath the TV. He punched in the combination, opened it, and took a wad of cash out. "Money's running out, fellas."

"Not cool, Lea, not cool," Braig replied with a smirk. He pulled something out from under his cloak. A handgun. "This baby's loaded and Isa ain't gonna take no crap from no one. Either he gets his payment or the famous model and her oh-so-adorable children get killed off one by one until he's satisfied."

Rould grabbed the money and walked straight out of the house. "Pleasure doin' business with ya, mate. The money is always appreciated."

Braig started laughing, walked to Lea, and placed the gun right next to Lea's chin. "We are watching you, Lea. One wrong move, and say goodbye to those sisters of yours. Got it?"

"I've got it memorized, Braig," Lea replied. "Now get out before my mom gets here."

Braig smiled. "Sayonara, kiddo. Ciao." Braig walked off.

Lea was lost in his train of thought. _What if the money eventually ran out? Then Isa would have my family killed. Then if I'm the only one left standing they'd think it was me who offed them._ As these thoughts raced through Lea's head, he lay down on the couch and began falling asleep…

…a beer bottle in his hand.


	2. Robbed

**Chapter 2: Robbed **

Kairi Hikari felt as though she had zero sleep. She woke up, pain in her stomach and head, and forced herself to sit up and not fall out of bed. She looked down at Naminé and Olette, and to the bed at her side she saw Selphie. She yelled at Selphie to go get her a bowl of cereal, and within minutes Kairi was sitting in bed eating a bowl of Fruit Loops.

Olette thought it'd be a good idea to put on the news. Kairi would've been bored to death. But the story that came on had two people being interviewed. One was Ienzo, the other his boss, Even Sunset.

Olette was about to change the channel, but Kairi insisted she kept it as is.

On the news station, Ienzo said, "…was the weirdest thing ever. All these voices… they could've been part of some mafia or something. All I know is this gang is bad news. Anyway, we can't be too certain on the exact identities of these criminals, but take a look at this recording."

Kairi nearly fell off of the bed when she heard the exact words her and Ienzo had heard yesterday. When Kairi's voice could be heard, Olette looked to her. "Kairi, you were with Ienzo?"

"Shh," Nami replied.

When the recording finished, Even spoke. "If anyone out there recognizes these voices, please call the Daily Sunset Hotline and we'll be able to track these guys down."

"I can't believe Ienzo said anything," Kairi muttered. "I thought, knowing that Lea's my brother, he'd refrain himself from speaking of what happened. I guess I was wrong." She took out her cellphone and dialed the number at the bottom of the TV screen, and the one called Even answered it. "Yes, may I speak with Ienzo?"

Ienzo had picked up the phone, and Kairi immediately said, "You're lucky you didn't release Lea's name! You know how bad that'd look for my family, Ienzo?" Then Kairi's eyes opened wide. "That little jerk…he just freaking hung up." She hung her head in depression. "Just what I needed. What do I do about Lea now?"

"Okay, Kai, you need some time in peace," Olette said softly. "How about we head to the mall. Just the four of us. No Lea or Ienzo involved. How's that sound?"

"That sounds perfect," Naminé said, stretching her arms out. Nami was really scared inside of what's going on with Lea, but she had to cheer up Kairi somehow. They were best friends and sisters. It hurt Nami to see Kairi in pain. "Come on, let's go now then."

"Yay!" Olette shouted.

"Okay, let me just grab my purse," Kairi said, reaching for the purse at the foot of the bed. When she grabbed it, she noticed her phone slightly vibrating. She let go of the purse, grabbed her phone, and answered whoever had called. "Mom?"

Kairi looked at her three friends and put the phone on speaker. "Kairi Hikari, you left the house without telling a responsible adult, and you slept over somewhere?"

"Well, Lea knew…" Kairi muttered.

"Like I said, you left without telling a _responsible _adult," Aerith said on the other line. "I came home at midnight from an important job, and I found your brother, passed out on the couch, in his boxers, a _beer _bottle in his hand." Kairi slumped her shoulders in defeat. _She _was supposed to phone Aerith every time his drinking went out of control.

"Oh, um…" Kairi stuttered, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry, Mom. Very sorry."

"I also had to dig through his truck and get rid of every bottle there," Aerith snapped. Her mother never got this way. It seemed like whenever she was upset or angry, it was all Lea's fault. "He's developing his father's habits. I don't think I can handle this trouble anymore."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Lea for you," Kairi muttered, hating to hear the anger and sadness mixed into her mother's voice. "Would that make it better, Mom?"

"Don't bother," Aerith replied. "I sent him to his uncle's place. I can't have him ruining things. I have a client over tonight, and I need you all on your best behavior. Up until then, you and Naminé are to come straight home and help me straighten up the house."

"What?" Kairi and Naminé shouted in unison. Kairi then said, "Listen, Mom, we were just about to go to the mall with Selphie and Olette, you remember those two, don't you? Can you _please_ let us go to the mall? I have some money! So does Nami!"

"No ifs, ands, or buts," Aerith said, as if she was talking to a child. "Straight home. We don't wanna keep Mr. Sunset waiting."

"Sunset?" Kairi asked. "As in, Even Sunset, owner of the Daily Sunset Company?"

"Kairi, just, just…just get over here now, please, I really need you," Aerith groaned on the other side. "And Naminé too. Sweetie, please. For Mama?"

"Okay, okay, the guilt trick isn't working, but we're heading there now," Kairi sighed, closing her phone and shoving it in her pocket. "Olette, Selphie, here—" She handed Olette thirty dollars in cash. "Get me something cute, but not too expensive. I need to get change back. Thanks! Nami, let's go."

"But I want something—" Nami started.

"Nope!" Kairi interrupted. She grabbed Nami's hand and the two headed out the door, leaving Olette and Selphie behind.

X-0-X

Lea was driving his truck towards his uncle's. He knew he had blew it big time with bringing beer to the house and letting Kairi and Nami run away, but he had to. What if Braig or Rould returned? Or maybe another assassin. He had to keep his family safe.

He was halfway to his uncle's place when he suddenly jerked the truck to the side of the road, nearly flying into a ditch. He could've hurt himself, but if he didn't, the guy behind him would have.

The car that was behind him roared passed the ditch, then swerved to the right, and flew into the ditch just as Lea had. Lea looked to the car. Stepping out were at least three men, all wearing black hoods with black sunglasses.

"Shit," Lea grumbled, grabbing a baseball bat he had in the back seat, and stepped out the car, slamming the door behind him. "What is it?"

The three men didn't look familiar to Lea. Isa's new henchman, it seemed. The man in the middle said, "We been hearin' talk of someone handing us fake money."

"Fake money?" Lea asked, a little surprised himself. He took out a five dollar bill from his pocket, looked intently at it, and said, "Damn, this is a fake bill. What the—"

"You've been holding out on us," the guy on the left said. "Isa don't respect that, ya know,"

"You three are new," Lea mumbled. "Isa didn't tell ya? Me and him, we go way back. One of my closest friends, actually."

"We know your story," the one on the right said in a female's voice.

The middle one said, "We know about the _fire. _And…you abandoned him once you found out about his gang, and then he threatened your family, and you've been giving him money…until now. You're now handing off fake money, bro. That ain't cool. By the by, the name's Seifer, that's Rai, and that's Fuu."

Seifer walked to Lea slowly, and once he got within range, he took a small knife from his pocket and swung it at Lea, who dodged it just in time, though a little of his wrist was cut in the process. Blood started to form in the small wound.

Seifer laughed and said, "Okay, listen, I don't wanna kill you right away, so just bring the money tonight. If you don't… we have people spying on your house."

"You have what!?" Lea yelled in surprise. "I'll go get the money…" Without waiting for the three to respond, he ran to the truck, threw his bat in the backseat, and jumped into the car, taking off before he even closed the door.

0-X-0

Kairi and Naminé helped Aerith clean up the house. Aerith wore a sparkling pink dress with a huge red ribbon tied in her hair. She had on sparkling sapphire heeled boots. She was absolutely gorgeous.

The entire house seemed spiff enough for even a king to dine there. "Now," Aerith started, in an actually happy tone. "Mr. Even Sunset, the company leader of the Daily Sunset, is coming to discuss my position in the next paper! If things go well, I'll get a part in every newspaper!"

"Mom, I'm so happy for you!" Kairi yelled, hugging her mom. "When'll he be here?"

"In a couple of minutes, actually," Aerith replied with a smile.

And just like she said, within minutes, Even knocked on the door and opened it. He had long platinum blond hair that went long in the back a well as long bangs that framed his face. He wore a white tux and bright white pants. A blue rose stuck out of his tux pocket. He had a briefcase in his hand.

Standing to his side, to Kairi's dismay, was Ienzo, wearing a casual V-neck white T-shirt and khaki jean shorts. His hair was a little combed and out of the way of his eye. He wore a backpack slung over his shoulder. "Hello,"

"Ienzo's here too…" Kairi mumbled under her breath. "Great…"

"Oh, do you two know each other?" Aerith asked. "Splendid. Um…Even, do sit down while I'll fix some…what do you drink, coffee, or tea?"

"You sure you don't have any beer?" Even asked with a smirk, and Aerith nearly stopped in her tracks. "I'm only kidding, dear. I'll have a decaffeinated coffee, please."

Aerith went off to work fixing the coffee, and Even trained his eyes on Kairi and Naminé. "So, you know my boy here, Ienzo?"

"He's your son?" Kairi asked quickly.

"No, but it feels like that," Even said, putting his chin in his palm as he stared at the ground. "His parents left him when he was two and I was trusted to look after him. So no, he's not mine. He's adopted."

"Oh, I'm…" Kairi muttered. "…sorry. Anyway, real nice kid there. May I borrow him for a second?" Even nodded just as Kairi grabbed his hand and rushed outside, Nami running closely behind her. "Okay, Ienzo, tell me…do you know more about those gangs than you're letting on?"

"Kairi, that's not polite—" Naminé interrupted.

"Zip it," Kairi snapped back. "What do you know that I don't?"

"Well, for starters, manners," Ienzo said mockingly. "And, your brother, Lea… I've been spying on his and Isa's gangs for a while now. Maybe close to two months. This is the first time its gone public, though. Isa Tsukiakari is leader of the Berserk Midnight Crusaders. Lea Kasai is leader of the Fiery Hot Assassins."

"But he's…" Kairi stuttered, unsure of what to say. Talk about dropping a bomb on her life. "Why would he—?"

"To protect your family from Isa," Ienzo said, rubbing the back of his head. "Isa is bad news. If you see a guy with golden eyes and blue hair, steer clear."

Kairi was speechless. She started to head for the door to the house, when Nami blurted out, "Ienzo, cut her some slack! Don't tell her all these upsetting things, especially since your dad—your _guardian_ is here." Naminé followed Kairi inside, slamming the door in front of Ienzo. Thunder rumbled the minute the door slammed as if on cue.

Ienzo opened the door again and stepped in, closing it lightly. Even was sitting down, sipping his coffee while chatting with Aerith. "And where do you keep your money at then?"

"Hm?" Nami asked, surprised. "Why do you need to know?"

Aerith chuckled and said, "I had told Even that the safe right there—" She pointed to the safe underneath the television in the living room. "—there's fake money in there. The real cash is stashed somewhere else."

"Wait, what?" Kairi said, taking all of this by surprise. "No…" Words flashed through her head, positive that these were the exact ones her brother had said.

_But you know all that money Mom has in her safe? Well, let's just say it ain't so safe anymore…_

"Lea…" Kairi muttered. Kairi then knew her brother wasn't safe anymore. Surely he'd given Isa the fake money. And sure enough, within seconds, she saw out of the corner of her eyes, the red truck pulling into the driveway.

"Oh, crap," Kairi said quietly, though Aerith heard her.

"Language, young lady," Aerith said, then took a peek out the window and saw the truck. "Oh, crap. Um, yes, Even, take you and Ienzo's things and bring them to the guest room, down the hallway and make a right, it'll be the first door on your left."

Even and Ienzo grabbed their things and brought them to the guest room. Aerith grabbed her forehead and said, "What's Lea even doing here?"

"I wish I could answer that," Kairi said, staring at the truck, as Lea swung open the truck door and started running for the house. "But…"

Kairi ran to the door, opened it, and whispered to Lea, who stood opposite her, "You gave them the fake cash, didn't you, Lea?"

"Wait, excuse me, what's this about cash?" Aerith asked. "Lea, you were supposed to be at your uncle's."

"Change of venue," Lea replied. "Look, where's the safe?"

"Right there—"

"Don't lie to me!" Lea shouted and gripped Aerith's shoulders. "Where…is…the…real money."

"You stole from us?"

"Borrowed."

"Lea Benjamin Kasai Jr.!"

"Let me in!"

"No means no," Aerith said in defiance as thunder rolled and a light drizzle had started. "What has gotten into you? We have two guests."

"Two guests that are still in the back…" Naminé said, and she didn't want to believe what she was thinking. Hadn't Even asked where the real safe was? Naminé pushed passed Kairi, Lea, and Aerith and headed for the back of the house. Within seconds, a scream rang out, "The both of them are gone!"

"Wait, what?" Aerith asked, and ran into the house. Lea pushed passed Kairi and ran into the house as well. Kairi slowly started to realize what had happened. She didn't want to. She ran into the house after the other two.

Once at the back of the house, in the guest room, the window was wide open, letting in a fierce wind as it started to rain. It was true. Ienzo and Even had left the house.

"Where did they go?" Aerith asked.

"Where's the safe?" Lea complained.

"Could we NOT worry about this right now?" Aerith shouted back, trying to close the window, and the minute it shut, it blasted open from the harsh winds and rain poured into the house. "The sky was clear a minute ago…"

"Where the _fuck_ is the safe?" Lea screamed in anger. Aerith finally complied, moved the bed in the room a few inches, and sticking out from under it was a silver box with a lock on it. He grabbed it, undid the combination lock, and opened it up. "Shit!" The safe was completely empty. Not a single dollar was spared.

"Oh my god," Aerith said, and the wind started to die down, the rain a very light drizzle. She grabbed her chest. "They… I spent Kairi's lifetime saving up all that money."

"What do they need it for?" Naminé asked.

"Mom?" Kairi said quietly, whenever Aerith refused to speak. "Mom…?" Aerith continued clutching her chest and started falling over, to which Lea grabbed her. Her eyes looked like she was experiencing a lot of pain. "Mom! Lea, call an ambulance, now! She's having a heart attack—"

And all at once, the entire side of the room that the window was on was ripped clean off of the house, a flurry of splinters flying everywhere, the wind whipping at the three's faces.

It was hard to tell, as it got so dark so quick, but if Lea thought right, they were almost in the middle of a tornado. Sure enough, when lightning struck, they saw a powerful black vortex of death right outside their house.

"Get down!" Lea shouted, grabbing Kairi and Naminé and shoving them to the ground, trying to lightly push Aerith down as well, all the while calling 9-1-1, just as a large chunk of wall flew over their heads.

Almost as fast as it had appeared, the tornado had vanished, and sirens could be heard. Naminé was extremely shaken up and couldn't speak at all. Kairi held Naminé in her arms to try and comfort her. Lea paced back and forth in between the other side of the house that was alright, and the side that was completely destroyed and in wreckage all around.

Pluto ran from the unharmed side of the house barking and jumped into Kairi's arms, and she hugged the golden dog tightly.

Aerith was put up on a hospital stretcher and put into an ambulance. This was too much, just for one day. Of course this would happen. Lea was in a gang, Aerith invited near-strangers in the house and they had stolen all their cash, Aerith had had a heart attack, and to top it off, they had nowhere else to live and were now completely poor.

Things could not be any worse.


	3. Hostages

**Chapter 3: Hostages**

Standing in the pure white hospital room are Kairi, Naminé, and Lea, all looking down at their mother, Aerith, lying comfortably on a bed covered with white bed sheets. Her heart was beating normally, and the doctors said she'd be fine to go home in at least two days.

They were in the hospital for at least four hours now, and finally Selphie and Olette barged into the room, ran straight for Kairi and Naminé, and the four embraced into a tight hug.

"Yeah, yeah, this is all very special," Lea muttered. "However, Olette and Selphie…we are now broke. These two jerks took the money from our safe and left us to die in that storm."

"Lea, how important was that money to you?" Kairi asked, a hint of sadness echoing off of her voice. "You seemed like you actually needed it."

"Isa's coming after us," Lea said, hanging his head down. "I was supposed to pay him, and in return, he spares my family's life. He holds power over me, Kai. Now the money can't be given to either one of us. And now that we have no home…"

"Don't say that," an angelic voice said from behind them. They turned around and saw Aerith, sitting up in her bed. "Lea, I can help. Really, I can—"

"Like you helped Even take everything I hold dear!?" Lea shouted. "My home, my money, my family…you let him take all of it. You understand we can all _die_ now? There's no more games. No more."

Lea turned around and headed towards the doorway. "Where are you going?" Kairi asked, following after Lea. "What if Isa catches you off guard, and then—"

"Don't worry about me, li'l sis," Lea said with compassion, and then walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Naminé started crying a little, and Olette cuddled with her to make sure she felt at least a little better. "He can take care of himself," Kairi reassured Aerith.

X-0-X-0-X

Lea walked out of the hospital and headed towards a back alley. He reached in his pocket and took out a small pocket knife that he had always kept in his possession no matter where he went. This is why he was expelled multiple times. He looked at the sky. It was starting to get darker.

When he walked down the alley, the walls on either side began obstructing the light and it was completely covered in shadows. He reached the very end, and standing there were two younger teens, one with spikey black hair and one with spikier blonde hair.

"Zack, Cloud," Lea said quietly. "If you see any of Isa's men in the vicinity, I want you two to call for reinforcements and take them out. If not, my family's dead. Got that?"

"But Lea, last time we fought they nearly sent me to the hospital," Zack complained. "My name was almost in the obituary. What if our men ain't strong enough?"

"Ah, look what the cat dragged in," a voice said behind Lea, and he whipped his body around and saw Braig standing there with Seifer on one side, Rould to the other, and and about three others behind them. "Word on the street is, you're broke. Isa ain't gonna like that."

"It's not like I wanted the money stolen," Lea said. He then had an idea. It was rather criminal, but he didn't have a choice. "The Daily Sunset. The people there have the money. Maybe get some of your people and raid the Daily Sunset afterhours. That should be all the money I owe you."

"But if we're unable to raid the Daily Sunset, we still need to know your loyalty to Isa," Rould said. "And that, mate, is by robbing a bank."

"What?" Lea asked loudly, nearly letting everyone in the neighborhood know they're here. "I can't rob a bank! I'm not that kind of person!"

"Do you want…Kairi to die?" Braig asked in a menacing voice, startling Lea. "Because if you don't bring money, I'll make sure the bitch is dead. Got it?"

That comment shook Lea with anger, and he couldn't contain himself anymore. "Hey, Braig…" Braig raised an eyebrow. Without warning, Lea swung his fist and it collided with Braig's cheek, and Braig retaliated by swinging a knife at him. Lea jumped backwards to avoid it, and Rould grabbed both of his arms and twisted them behind his back.

Soon Lea felt the uncomfortableness of the cold bloodstained dagger pressed against his sweating neck, a light trickle of blood seeping out of a tiny wound.

"Let's make a deal," Braig said with an evil smile. "Rould and I rob the Daily Sunset building, you rob a bank, and Kairi doesn't die. How's that?"

"Oy, Lea," Rould said, reached down, and lifted up an ice cold beer from a tiny ice chest that rested against the wall of someone's house. He tossed it to Lea, who grabbed it. "Drink up; maybe you can get to not remember a thing of this. Rob, and forget. That's how we all do it."

"I'm not like you guys," Lea said, popping open the cap. "I'm stronger, smarter, and _way _sexier."

"Oh, Lea, I take that offensively," Braig growled, turning around, and headed to the dead-end wall, where he sat down and drank him a beer himself. "As if. Now get going. I hear the Twilight Bank has very few, uh, security personnel."

Lea chugged down half a bottle of the beer in a few seconds, waved to the other two, Zack and Cloud, and headed off. He had to do whatever he had to to keep his family safe. Even if it meant robbing a bank and getting arrested.

X-X-0-X-X

Lea wouldn't pick up his cell. Kairi had tried nonstop to call Lea, and for the past hour he hadn't answered or had the decency to call back. If this had anything to do with getting money back, Aerith would ship Lea off to some mental facility.

Kairi couldn't let the happen. When she slung her purse over her shoulder, Nami instantly stood up in defiance, but Kairi snapped at her, "Sit," and walked out the hospital room's door.

She headed down the street, calling Lea's name, but to no avail. When she gave up, she sat on a bench at an intersection, waiting to see if her brother would call her back. When he didn't, a stranger approached her.

"Why, hello, is this seat taken?" a raspy voice asked, and she looked up and saw a teenager around Lea's age with long blue hair, golden eyes, and a peculiar scar in the center of his face.

"Hello," Kairi replied. "And, no, it's not. I'm just waiting for a call. I could leave, if you—"

"No, no, please stay, Kairi," the man said, and sat down beside her. "Why so glum, chum? Nasty breakup?"

"I wish," Kairi grumbled to herself. "My brother's doing some criminal things, then we get our money stolen, then a tornado takes away our house, my mom gets a _heart attack, _and now my brother has run away. Hey…"

"What is it, Kairi?"

"…how do you know my name? Wait a minute…is that you? _Isa_?"

"I don't want to make things awkward," Isa replied with a frown. "I want to negotiate your family's safety." When Kairi tried to stand, he yelled, "Sit down, Kairi!" Kairi sat again. "Listen, I've got your mother on house arrest for the meantime. I have a member of my gang impersonate a nurse to look after her; make sure she doesn't try and leave whenever she figures out her son and her daughter are in big trouble."

"Okay, what do you want?" Kairi asked. "And what happened to you? The scar, the eyes, that long hair…"

Isa sighed. "Your brother gave me this scar. It marked the end of our friendship. And now, Kairi, I am looking for money, and your brother had the access. Until we realized all this money he's been giving us…was fake. Not his fault, I know, but I respected him enough to give him a second chance. Now that the Daily Sunset has our money, you and Lea are almost clear from being our pawns."

"So what?" Kairi asked rudely. "You hunt down Even Sunset and his adoptive son, Ienzo, and kill them? Take the money? Do it. They're criminals in my eyes."

"I said you weren't a pawn anymore, but you can still do the Crusaders a favor," Isa replied with a smile, grabbing Kairi's hand. "Let's go get dinner. I stall the waitress or waiter, and you sneak in the back and pocket the cash. After that, I'm done with you. Forever."

"Really?" Kairi asked, and then smirked. "Is that all?"

"It's a date, then?" Isa said with a smile, and stood up. "Come on, I'll lead the way."

Kairi was walking behind Isa, her hand in his. What was going to happen, exactly? Kairi didn't know, but she felt she had a plan forming in her head.

X-0-O-o-X

Lea wandered the streets, finally reaching the Twilight Bank. He had had his fifth beer since he left that alley. Alcohol messed him up in the past and it was too late to stop drinking.

He threw his final bottle against the pavement and it shattered. The nearby sound of a cat startled Lea and he whipped around, flicking his knife out. He was a mess. He pocketed the knife, clutched his forehead, and said, "Lea, come on, focus…"

He was having second thoughts, but he couldn't get Kairi killed over this. He had to break in and steal the money there. But there was only one thing stopping him…he had no idea _how _to break in. He was new to this.

"How…" He peered through the window and saw nobody inside, so he took a chance. He jiggled the doorknob. Locked. He took a credit card from his pocket, slid it through the crack in the door, and surprisingly, it unlocked.

Lea crept in. Before he even made two steps, the door was suddenly slammed open again by a guy in a general's uniform, with two other people behind that guy, pointing handguns at Lea. The general had long, thick, and dark sideburns, along with black dreadlocks and violet eyes.

"What the hell are you doing at this time of night, son?" the general asked angrily. He had an Australian or British accent. "Breaking and entering…looks like you're in custody of the police. Or should I say, in custody of Dilan, part of the Midnight Crusaders."

"Oh, god," Lea muttered. "This was set up. Braig knew he couldn't take me himself, so he got you three to wait here for me. Real clever."

Lea slowly held his hands up. "Okay, Dilan, I surrender. Just don't hurt my sisters. Or my mother."

"Don't worry, they're all taken care of," Dilan smirked. "Aerith is being watched from her hospital bed. Kairi is in custody with…ooh, you guessed it, mate…Isa Tsukiakari."

"Damn you!" Lea shouted in anger.

"More people are getting hurt as well," Dilan muttered. "Even Sunset and his boy Ienzo…the ones who stole the money from you…acted under our orders. We forced them to."

"You did what…?" Lea asked under shaky breaths. "Leave everyone out of this! It's me you want!"

"It's too late for that, we already have people involved," Dilan replied. "There's no going back."

"Stop this!" Lea screamed out. "You're hurting people!"

"Shh, shh, people will hear," Dilan said with a smile.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Aerith was enjoying her coffee. Olette and Selfie had left, leaving Naminé alone with her mother. Aerith put down her coffee.

The nice nurse walked in. Her bright blonde hair, black heeled boots, white nurse's getup, and bright red lipstick would have made her look like the nicest in the world.

But what she said frightened the two. "Hello," the nurse said. "I am Nurse Arlene…and as of now, you are Crusader property."

"What?" Aerith asked. "What do you mean?"

"Shut up or I kill the girl," Arlene said, looking Nami dead in the eyes. "We have all of you as hostages. Don't call the police, or Kairi and Lea get…dead."

She took a knife from her purse she had over her shoulder, and she licked the tip of it. She smirked, showing her fang-like teeth.

"Oh no," Nami shuddered, holding onto Aerith tightly while Aerith in turn embraced her daughter.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kairi would have never pictured herself sitting at a table in a fast-food joint with Isa Tsukiakari of all people. Isa smiled. "Isn't this nice, Hikari?"

"Kairi," she mumbled under her breath. "Um…" She lifted up her diet coke and took a long sip out of it. "Isa, why are we here again?"

"To rob the place—"

"Already on it," Kairi said with a smile. "I'll be robbing you…of this date and the money you wanted me to get."

"Kairi Hikari, we had a deal," Isa's raspy voice tried to keep it quiet, yet he could barely contain his anger. "If not, Lea, your mother, Naminé, and you are all…dead."

But before he could finish that sentence, Kairi had already thrown her drink at Isa, getting diet coke stains allover Isa's outfit. "Oops, did I do that at a bad time? What were you saying?"

Isa reached over to grab Kairi's hand, and Kairi screamed out, "HELP! RAPE!" Kairi flipped the table on top of Isa and ran out of the building… wearing a smile.

She had a pure adrenaline rush she hadn't felt in a while. She felt alive. But was Isa serious? Did he seriously have La, Aerith, and Nami at his disposal?

Kairi started to freak out, and she whipped around, only to not see Isa anywhere in sight. She turned back around to keep running, but there was Braig and Rould in front of her.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kairi sat in a back alley, unable to remember anything after that _date _with Isa. She looked at her surroundings. Great. Freaking _bloodstains _lining the walls. In the back alley, towards the back, was a small wooden door. She finally took notice of the fact she had her arms tied behind her back with rope.

Rould stood in front of her and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Hikari, but it looks like you guys are our hostages now."

"Us _guys_?"

"Ah, you're awake," Rould said, looking down at Kairi. "Good—" He grabbed hold of Kairi, lifted her up effortlessly, went to the wooden door, where Seifer appeared from inside, opened it, and helped Rould throw the poor girl inside.

Inside there was a dim light. It smelled foul, there were boxes and beer cans littering the place. A few roaches were crawling about as well. Kairi squirmed, until she saw two other figures in the dim light.

Even Sunset and Ienzo. They sat back-to-back, their arms intertwined with each other's behind their backs, tied with rope.

"How on earth…" Kairi muttered in disbelief. "You guys better tell me they didn't get the money."

Ienzo was startled to hear Kairi's voice. He looked over, and in his face it looked like he hadn't seen the light of day in years. "Kairi…oh no, Kairi, they've got you too."

After what Even had said after Ienzo's statement, Kairi closed her eyes and prayed.


	4. Brawl

**Chapter 4: Brawl **

"Even, you're kidding," Kairi said, her eyes closed. "They threatened you in order to get our money…? But that's…"

"They said we'd end up with you and Lea somewhere locked up for good," Ienzo said, a tear forming in his visible eye. "As soon as we left with the money, we hadn't even left the street and the tornado hit. Even and I were disoriented…when we woke up, we were staring at Isa himself. And he caught us." He sniffled a bit. "He said he'd leave us alone after the money was his."

"You've been in here that long?" Kairi asked. "I'm…sorry." Kairi couldn't think straight. "The guy outside said something about…everyone is a hostage now."

"Correct," Even said with a small smile. "Us three, your brother, your sister, and your mother…we're all trapped. Who knows when Isa will let us go…if he ever does."

"Hey, hey!" Kairi suddenly shouted. She looked to the corner of the room where a lone knife laid. "I gotta.." She stood up, her arms still tied. She walked awkwardly to the knife and bent down, her rear to the knife. She grabbed the knife from behind and started cutting her way through until finally, the rope snapped. "I'm free!" She said suddenly, but then remembered to whisper. "I'm free…"

She rushed to Ienzo and Even, and she carefully cut through the rope, the rope falling at their feet. Ienzo and Even stood up, shaking their wrists. There were rope burns along their arms.

Kairi reached in her pocket… and sure enough, they had forgotten to check her pockets when they caught her. She started dialing Lea's number to make sure he was alright, when Braig's voice answered.

"Why hello, little cupcake—" Before he spoke more, Kairi slammed her phone shut and started texting Naminé. A voice picked it up…but it wasn't Nami's.

"Well, kiddo, looks like you're done for," the sadistic witch on the other line started giggling to herself, and Kairi snapped her phone in half.

"Oh no," Kairi suddenly felt remorse and almost started tearing up. "I could've gotten in touch with…Olette and Selphie. Do any of you have a—"

"Yes," Ienzo said, taking a small flip phone out of his pocket. "Here—"

Kairi snatched the phone from him, and texted, _Selphie, get Olette and call the police. Call several. Don't stop. Keep calling. Fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, helicopters, we need them all. ~Kairi._

The door slammed open, making Kairi drop Ienzo's phone. Standing there was Braig and Dilan, each holding the hands of none other than Lea. When Lea saw Kairi, he nearly started crying and screamed, "Damn you, ISA!"

Lea was thrown to the floor, and the door shut, and they heard the faint sound of a lock on the outside. They really were trapped.

"Kairi, I'm so sorry," Lea rushed to Kairi and wrapped his arms around her. "This is all my fault. I caused this hatred. It's all because of me." Kairi raised an eyebrow. "When I was just starting to be an alcoholic, I kind of set his house on fire, and his billions of dollars, because he was a spoiled rich kid, burned away and turned to ashes. Because of me."

"What?" Kairi asked. "But this…this goes beyond simple hatred. This is murderous!"

Lea thought back to the day he was just fifteen years old. Kairi and Naminé were still young at the time.

_Lea wandered the streets until he reached Isa's house. When he entered, Isa welcomed him, and Lea just took a long drink out of his beer. He had to steal it from some stores because his mom wouldn't let, yet she knew he drinks and did nothing._

_He lit a cigarette, and started smoking. Isa didn't follow his example, and just sat on the couch watching TV. He had short hair and lack of any scars, and his eyes looked turquoise._

_Lea didn't pay attention to where he walked, and he tripped over Isa's shoe, causing him to fall, the cigarette flying out of his hand and onto the couch._

_Within seconds, it had started a fire. Isa tried to swat it away with pillows, but the fire grew. And eventually…_

"Everything was gone," Lea said, finishing his story to Kairi. "His puppy died, rather sad, actually. His money…all gone. His parents blamed him and abandoned him. And he was without a home. All of this was my fault. And since that day…"

"You quit smoking," Kairi said, finally realized why he had. He was scarred because of what happened. "Anything else, Lea?"

"When he chased after me I gave him that scar," Lea replied.

"So…" Kairi muttered. "This is…your fault? Nami and Mom must be scared…"

"It's okay; we now have Selphie and Olette on our sides, don't we?" Lea asked, looking to the phone in Kairi's hand and seeing her texts, and Kairi nodded. "Good. They'll get police involved. But how will they know where to go?"

Kairi grabbed Ienzo's phone and texted their location. Olette finally texted back, _Are you alright?_

Kairi texted, _Yes, but I'm not sure how much longer these guys will keep us before…killing us._

Olette texted back, _Alright…Selphie's calling them._

Lea smirked and looked Kairi in the eyes. "I have a plan—_as I always do_—and it might just work. You see, I figure if we light this place on fire, he'll let us go."

"Light it on fire?" Kairi asked suddenly, as if hearing the world was about to end. "Um, we're in here and the door is probably locked. We can't catch this room on fire because we might die."

Lea dug in his pocket and took out a lighter, and he flicked it on, a bright yellow and red flame sparking to life before their eyes. "Kairi, let's see. They think we won't have the guts to leave. So what if, in actuality—" He jiggled the doorknob. "—it isn't actually locked."

"But Lea, what if they refuse to let us out?" Kairi asked. Lea started chuckling. "Lea Kasai, are you drunk!?"

"Not anymore, kid," Lea replied. "But this plan _will _in fact work. Just watch." He walked to the back of the small room where a pile of old boxes were. He tapped it with the lighter, flicked the lighter to life, and the boxes began to catch on fire. The fire roared to life, engulfing all the boxes, an evil glow shining on Lea's face. "Now…Kairi, Ienzo, and Even…don't think, just follow my lead."

-x-

Olette paced back in forth in the Twilight Town Police Department's main building as Selphie explained everything to the police. This was quite a day for the both of them. It was almost midnight and all they could do to help Kairi and the others was to sit back and call the police. It was like they were completely useless.

One of the officers had short auburn hair, rough facial features, and blue eyes. Selphie looked up to him and said, "Officer Aeleus, please believe me! Who would lie about that?"

Aeleus found the two's tale to be hard to believe, but he had to go along with it either way as it was his responsibility to protect the people no matter the cost. Even if it meant going on a a wild goose chase after a gang who held a lot of people hostage.

Aeleus sighed and looked to Selphie. "Miss Tilmitt, you make such high accusations. If these facts your telling me are _wrong _though, then you can face some serious charges, even at your young age. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Olette replied for Selfie, walking up to the two. "Kairi wanted as many people as possible to arrive and save them. Said so in her text." Selphie showed Aeleus the text a second time. If it helps, Kairi Hikari is Aerith Gainsborough's daughter."

"First, before I get anyone involved in this, I want you two to go to the hospital and inform Aerith," Aeleus replied. Can you do this for me and be trusted?"

"Yes, sir!" Olette shouted, grabbing Selphie's hands. "Selphie, let's go."

-0-X-0-

As fire roared to life and started to spread out across the back of the room, Ienzo and Even approached the door where Kairi was waiting for Lea's signal. When Lea snapped his fingers, he swung open the door, and Braig was immediately seen outside.

"Ah, trying to escape?" Braig asked, and then saw the fire, his expression growing grim. "…as if. It's a fire." He backed out of the doorway, and Lea, Kairi, Ienzo, and Even rushed out the door, pushing passed Braig and running towards the entrance of the alley they were in.

Kairi and Ienzo stopped in their tracks, as Rould and Seifer respectively grabbed their arms and twisted them behind their backs, causing the two teens to fall onto their knees. Even wasn't spared and was tackled to the ground by Rai and Dilan. Lea stood alone at the edge of the alley, where Isa was waiting, staring into his eyes.

Isa wouldn't let Lea leave. "Hello, Lea," Isa smirked. "I can't allow you to leave. You've seen too much." Lea noticed that the other three were each at the mercy of Isa's gang. "Ha, yeah, you've lost and you know it."

"Not a chance," Lea grumbled to himself. "The back room is on fire. And I'll make sure you're left to die in there."

"Oh, really?" Isa asked, and started laughing. "I'm _so _scared of someone like you! Ha ha! You've lost, I've one. End of story. Braig, Rould! Throw Kairi, Ienzo, and Even into the fiery inferno to be burn alive!"

"What?" Rould asked with confusion. "That's too harsh. I thought we just question people and keep them hostage! We don't kill."

"Fine, I'll do it!" Braig snapped, shoving Rould to the side, grabbing Kairi and Ienzo's arms, and threw them into the room with each hand. Before Kairi could rush back to the door, it slammed in her face and was locked. "Lea, your sister and that puny boy are about to die."

"ISA!" Lea screamed, running at Isa and slapping him across the face, then tackling the man to the ground. "Get Braig to let them out!"

"Fight me then," Isa said with a scowl. "Then maybe I'll save what's important to you. Until then, the two will burn alive in there. And it is all your fault." He dug in his pocket and yanked out a switchblade, opened it up, and swung it at Lea.

Lea dodged, but Isa swung it again and this time it cut a little into Lea's shirt, and a little blood dribbled from the cut and stained his shirt.

-X-0-X-0-X-

Selphie and Olette were running down the hallways within the hospital, trying to remember which room Aerith was in. The place was strangely desolated and empty; not a soul can be seen.

Finally they reached what they thought was Aerith's room, and they opened the door. They both ran in, the door closing behind them. Naminé was by Aerith's bedside. Selphie and Olette looked down at Aerith, who snapped her eyes awake and said, "Get out, quick!"

"Why?" Selphie asked, though her question was answered in a second.

The young nurse, Arlene, was behind the two and grabbed their arms. "You two shouldn't be here afterhours. It's against the rules for you two punks."

"What?" Olette asked, ripping free from Arlene's grasp. She pulled Selphie away from Arlene as well and said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Arlene, and I work with the Midnight Crusaders," Arlene giggled. "I take it you two are friends of Kairi's? Well, don't worry about her." Aerith then quickly fell asleep again.

"Arlene, let us go," Selphie said. "We need to get Kairi!"

"Not going to happen," Arlene said, taking her knife from her purse and licking the tip of the blade. "Should I kill the two of you now and save Isa the trouble of worrying about you?"

Nami, Selphie, and Olette stared at Arlene in absolute fear.

0-X-0-X-0-X-0-X-0

After Kairi, Ienzo, and Even were thrown into the room, they saw that the fire was expanding but was only in the back room. It hadn't spread too far. Smoke was forming and covered the room like a fog.

Ienzo coughed and looked up. The smoke alarm was busted and wasn't working. "Kairi…what do we do now?" Kairi ignored him and ran to the door, yanking on the doorknob, twisting it, and pushing it, trying to get out. "It's useless, Kairi!"

"Help!" Kairi shouted, banging on the door; she was now realizing she could die right now. Smoke started blanketing the room even more, and she fell onto her knees in sadness.

Everything was going south.

Ienzo rushed to her and then fell down, right beside Kairi, staring into her eyes. "Kairi…" he started coughing. "Are you… alright?"

"Considering the fire…" Kairi muttered, the fire spreading throughout the room, yet somehow avoiding the two. "Ienzo… are we gonna die?"

Ienzo didn't know how to answer.

0000000

Lea and Isa exchanged blows, using both fist and knife. Isa was hoping to kill Lea, and he was beginning to succeed when he swung his knife and it pierced Lea's cheek.

Lea fell down, wiping the blood from his cheek, and said, "Isa…please…you're gonna kill all four of us and for what? What will you gain?"

"Stop talking," Isa snapped, and slammed down his elbow, slamming it into Lea's head and causing the teen to fall down. "Now stay down there where you belong."

In that instant, Isa fell to the ground with another guy right on top of him. A dirty blonde boy with a mullet and piercing blue eyes, wearing nothing but shorts and a ripped up jacket.

He helped Lea up, Lea saying, "Dyme, you made it!"

Isa stood up, Braig and Seifer running up to him. "Isa, are you alright?" Braig asked, and Rould and Dilan ran up to him. "You two. Help Seifer and I get rid of—"

"No," Dilan said with a scowl. "I don't kill people. I interrogate and capture people, but I never kill people. You can't burn people alive either. So Isa, I say you are under arrest."

"Get him, Rould," Isa said angrily.

"No," Rould snapped back. "Dilan and I share the same feelings. We're going save Kairi and the other two. Goodbye, Isa Tsukiakari."

"DON'T YOU DARE DEFY ME!" Isa screamed, and his arms were immediately grabbed by Seifer and Rould, and Dilan rushed to the wooden door. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "I had Braig get it stuck… there's no way for it to open now."

"Now get away from me!" Isa shouted, swung his knife, and slit open Seifer's neck. Blood splattered across Isa's face, and the young Seifer fell over.

"Seifer!" Rould said in shock. "You killed him… that's it, Isa, you have to die right now. It's been nice knowing you, mate."

Zack and Cloud arrived, and helped Rould and Dyme restrain Isa. Isa tried flailing around, where his subordinate, Braig, started backing away slowly.

"BRAIG!" Isa shouted, pushing Dyme and Rould away and kicking Zack and Cloud to the ground. Isa wasn't being caught too early. He reached inside his pocket and took out a small hand gun.

"Good for you, brah!" Braig shouted in happiness. "Now shoot all of 'em and we can get out of… wait, what are you doing?"

Isa trained his gun on Braig and pulled the trigger, the bullet firing and piercing Braig's chest. As blood sputtered out, he fell onto his knees, saying, "Isa… I thought we were partners? Best friends?"

"I only had one best friend," Isa said, spitting blood on the pavement. "But he died years ago. Nobody is leaving here alive as long as you know the name Isa Tsukiakari." He turned around and fired a bullet at Dyme, and the boy fell over as he experienced a quick bullet to the heart.

"DYME!" Lea shouted. "Everyone, stay away from him!"

"Too late," Isa said, whipping towards Dilan and firing a bullet, and he was shot in the stomach. Dilan fell over at the wooden door, yelling Isa's name. He pointed his gun at Rould, but Rould quickly kicked the gun into the air, and Zack and Cloud tackled Isa to the ground.

Lea could barely believe what was happening. Isa was even shooting down his own men. And Dyme was dead. Poor Dyme. He still had a long life ahead. And just when all hope seemed lost, as Isa got up and slammed Cloud and Zack to the ground, he could hear the distinct sound of sirens, making Isa's eyes open wide.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ienzo inched closer to Kairi as the fire circled all around the room but not right near them. Soot clouded their faces and they each coughed. They had thought Even had probably died, dreadful as that sounds, because he hasn't been coughing or responding, and Kairi and Ienzo couldn't see anything but themselves.

"Kairi…" Ienzo muttered. He coughed loudly. "I…" Before he said another word, they were close together they could feel their body warmth right on top of each other. Before Ienzo spoke again, the two locked lips and to Kairi's surprise, this was the boy she longed for.

As they made out for several seconds, they had forgotten about the fire, and about their situation. What was happening now was the real deal, and nobody could change that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the sirens started blaring over every bit of noise, Isa stared at Lea with eyes of hatred and screamed, "Y_ou _did this! You called the police!?"

"Nope, but I have two spies who did the work for me," Lea joked. "I had no part in this." A bunch of lights trained on Lea and Isa, and several footsteps echoed off the walls.

"Put your hands in the air! All of you!" a voice shouted, and Lea and Isa stood seven yards away from a female police officer who held two guns to them. Zack, Cloud, and Rould listened to the cop and raised their hands, while Isa struggled as Lea grabbed his hands.

The cop, who had short black hair and a black and blue police hat, shouted, "Put your hands in the air, you two!" Before the cop said anything more, smoke started funneling out the cracks in the wooden door. "What the hell's going on in there?"

In an instant, almost instantaneously, the door lit up an evil red color and exploded, flying open and smashing against the wall opposite it. The door was so stuck the heat must've unjammed it roughly. Fire was almost exiting the room.

"Kairi!" Lea shouted, and ran for the room, while the cop shot bullets at his feet.

"NO!" Isa shouted, and started running after Lea. He grabbed Lea's wrist and yanked it, making Lea fly into the ground. He took a knife from his pocket. "I'll overcome my fear of fire… and take Kairi's life if she isn't dead already."

"No, stop!" the police officer shouted. "Stop under order of Officer Yuffie!"

Isa refused to answer her and dove right into the fiery inferno. On the inside, the entire room was lit aflame, except for a small circle in the center of the fire, where Kairi and Ienzo clutched each other, fearing the worst was coming.

A bullet fired near Isa's ear, so he whipped around and swung a fist, and Officer Yuffie slammed against the wall, blood leaking from her nose.

A sound of wind starting roaring above the alley, and Isa looked up and saw a helicopter hovering a hundred feet above, a rope ladder dangling down, about to be inches away from Isa's head.

Isa grabbed hold of it and started climbing it. Lea stared in awe. "Wait, I thought that was the FBI's chopper…" As he said that Isa started rising in the air.

"No!" Lea yelled, ran to just below Isa, and jumped up, grabbing Isa's foot, and the two started ascending towards the helicopter. The door on the helicopter was open, which let the rope ladder out, and standing in the doorway was Fuu.

"Come on," she said, frowning uneasily.

"I would if I could!" Isa screamed. He started flailing his foot around, but Lea wouldn't let go. "Just hold on! By the time I'm up, Lea would've fallen to his death."

XXXXXXXXX

Arlene stared Selphie and Olette down as the latter two backed away. Arlene felt her cellphone vibrate in her shirt pocket, and she took it out and answered a call.

"Hello?" she asked. She listened for a bit. "Yes. Wait…Seifer's dead…? And Braig and Dilan are in critical condition? Not good…not good…" She hung up the phone. "Alright, Selphie, Olette, you two are free to go. I've gotta get somewhere."

"Take us with you," Selphie begged. "We've gotta make sure Kairi's alright."

"But…" Arlene muttered. "Gah, whatever, little twerps. I don't even care anymore. After today, I quit for good. Not like it matters. Let's go." She rushed out the door with Olette and Selphie following behind. Naminé quickly bid farewell to the sleeping Aerith, and ran out as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Isa continued trying to kick Lea away, down below two new officers arrived, one with blonde hair and a toothpick in his mouth, and one with spikey brown hair.

"Cid, you tend to Yuffie…" the brunette muttered. "...while I save whoever's in there."

"Roger that, Officer Squall," Cid smirked, lifting up Yuffie's head.

"That's Leon," the other officer replied, scowling, stepping into the burning room while stepping over the fire, while behind him more officers appeared and looked up towards the rope ladder that ascended towards Fuu and Rai's helicopter.

Leon looked and saw Kairi and Ienzo, passed out in the only circle of land _not _touched by flames, who were still locking lips despite being passed out. Their faces were covered in black spots and soot, several articles of clothing being partly scorched.

"That's not good… HEY! We have two kids passed out over here! Officer Tifa, a little help?" Leon asked in a loud voice, and his long haired cohort ran into the room, jumped over flames, grabbed Ienzo, pulled him away from Kairi, and jumping back over the flames with him, and setting him down on the pavement of the alley.

"Good," Leon replied, grabbing Kairi, stepped over the flames, and then set her down beside Ienzo. "Now…" He stepped back into the room, where flames have completely taken over. "Is anyone still alive in here?"

Leon thought he heard a small grunting sound, so he inched closer within the fire towards the back of the room, where he found Even. Even's white lab coat was on fire and fire started racing up the fabric and started blistering at Even's skin.

Leon swatted the fire from Even's hands and coat, grabbed the man, and lugged him out of the room and brought him to the side of Ienzo.

Cid walked over to Even, took out a rag, and started rubbing the rag against Even's face which was covered in soot. "What in blazes…?" Cid asked with a confused smile. "Lordy Jesus, Squall! We just done rescued three famous people! Even Sunset, owner of the Daily Sunset; Ienzo, reporter for the Daily Sunset; and this fine little lady is Kairi Hikari, daughter of famous Aerith Gainsborough!"

Leon looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" Cid asked. "I have cable, I'm not a caveman."

"Whatever," Leon muttered. He took a walkie-talkie that was connected to his pocket, and talked into it. "Hello, Officer FF8 here. Prepare to intercept that helicopter in approximately fifteen seconds."

Without wasting a second, another helicopter appeared close behind the other. The rope ladder had ascended all the way, but Lea still hung on to Isa's leg.

"Let go!" Isa shouted, but Lea had slipped off, Isa's shoe falling down with him. Lea landed right on top of Cid.

When Lea stood up, he looked up to Isa and yelled, "Officers, you have to arrest that man!"

Isa climbed into the doorway, and he now stood inside the helicopter with Fuu by his side and Rai piloting it. Fuu's eyes went wide for a split second. "Oh no," she muttered.

"Isa!" Rai shouted. "The helicopter's makin' a lot of weird noises, ya know! I don't think you can stay up here no more."

"Hey, Rai, I own you two, so shut it," Isa snapped back, but then he noticed a creaking in the helicopter. "Rai…what's…oh dear. Hey, you two, you'd sacrifice yourselves for me, right?"

"Of course?" Fuu asked with confusion.

"Parachute, now," Isa muttered, and Fuu handed him a parachute, which he strapped to his back. "Thank you for your time, but your services are no longer needed. See ya!"

Isa jumped out of the helicopter and pulled the string on the parachute, and the large parachute inflated and slowed his fall.

Not long after, the helicopter exploded with Rai and Fuu inside. Glass shattered and metal ripped apart, the propeller of the helicopter flying off. The propeller flew to the ground at a speed as it twirled around and around, soon slicing past Rould, creating a deep and bloody slit with his stomach.

As soon as Isa landed, Lea grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. Not long after, and Arlene ran down the alley with Naminé, Selphie, and Olette behind her.

"Kairi!" Selphie screamed, and she and Olette rushed to Kairi and gripped her in a hug. Then they noticed Ienzo and Even to the side of her. "Are you guys alright?"

Even didn't answer, but Ienzo snapped his eyes open. "Hell…hello?" He looked up at Selphie and Olette. "Friends of…of… K-Kairi?"

"Yes, and you must be Ienzo?" Olette asked, and Ienzo nodded.

Naminé pushed Olette and Selphie to the side as she hugged Kairi's fainted body, now crying into Kairi's chest.

"Okay, everybody stay still!" Leon shouted, pointing a gun at Isa. "Red, let go of him now." Lea let go of Isa. "Isa Tsukiakari, at the hands of the Twilight Police Department yet again. What do you have to say for yourself? You caused the deaths of a lot of people, including—" He looked around at all the injured and dead gang members around him. "—including members of your own gang."

"Don't shoot," Isa said. "Because as soon as my heart stops, this whole alley will be up in the air."

"What?" Leon asked worriedly.

Isa smirked, taking his knife to his shirt, and ripping it open, revealing a cylindrical device taped to his chest. He then touched the knife to his neck. "The minute my heart stops, this bomb goes off," Isa said with a wicked smile. "So now you guys have to meet my demands."

"No," Lea muttered. "Ienzo, help Naminé, Selphie, and Olette get Kairi and Even outta here. Officers, stay back. I want everyone to get outta this alley. _Now._"

"Why should we listen to you?" Leon asked.

Lea snapped his head towards Leon and said, "Because it's partly my fault this has happened. Now get outta here." Leon rushed to work and helped Selphie, Olette, Naminé, and Ienzo with getting Kairi and Even out of there. And with that, every person still alive and not badly injured rushed out of the alley, just leaving the dead bodies, Lea, and Isa behind.

Lea pointed his own gun at Isa, and smiled, walking a tad back. "Now… Isa Tsukiakari, terror of Twilight Town, I bid you goodbye. Goodbye to an old friend, and to a murderer, and to my greatest rival."

"What are you…?" Isa asked.

Lea closed his eyes and smiled, saying, "Goodbye…got it memorized?" He fired a bullet, and the minute the metal bullet hit the bomb on Isa's chest, the entire alleyway lit up.

Lea closed his eyes, and then everything became a blinding white, and then black.

***AUTHORS NOTE* Hey! Did you like this chapter? There will only be one or two chapters after this one. So...what do you think happened after this? Did Lea die? What about the ones still slightly alive like Braig and Rould? Is Even still alive, or did he almost suffocate? Find out next time.**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Family

**Chapter 5: Family**

Two weeks had passed since the Tragedy of Twilight Town, as residents called it. Kairi Hikari was just passing her seventeenth birthday, and she spent the day at the hospital with Naminé.

They walked down the halls of the hospital, heading towards the one room they've visited since the tragedy.

Ever since the tragedy, all the excitement had died down. The alley was gone, along with several of the buildings to the sides of it. Isa was completely obliterated and erased from existence.

Braig was severely injured, his arms and legs completely destroyed. He was in a mental facility as of now where he was being taken care of since he couldn't walk or use his arms.

Now, back to Kairi Hikari and Naminé Shiro. They walked into the hospital room, accompanied by a nurse-in-training, Aqua Kiyamoto, whom has been watching over her patient.

Inside the hospital room was a teen in a hospital bed. He had been there for some time. Aqua smiled at the two kids and said, "Don't you take too long now, you guys. I'll be back in forty minutes to pick you up. I really appreciate you coming over every day."

"You're very welcome, Aqua," Naminé muttered with a smile as Aqua walked out the door.

Kairi and Nami rushed to the bed to see none other than their brother, Lea Kasai, who was paralyzed from the waist down. He had scars along his arms and legs and a large burn mark on his cheek that wouldn't go away.

He had survived, but barely. Lea opened his eyes and looked at Kairi. "Hey, kiddos, how's it goin'?"

"Good," Kairi said. "I think that explosion was the best thing ever because you've been staying in here and have been sober for what? Two and a half weeks maybe?"

"Yes, exactly," Lea said while laughing. "Though I could do with legs and without this stupid bed and that wheelchair. But, in about five months I should be back on my feet. They can give me a lot of medications till then until I can move my legs again."

A knocking came at the door and it creaked open, and stepping in was Ienzo, smiling. "Hey, you two. Hey Lea!" He bounded over to Kairi. "Hey, Kai!" The two locked lips for a few seconds, then broke free for air. "So I was thinking, tonight, we can go out to that restaurant. You know, the one you said Isa took you to?"

"That sounds good," Kairi muttered. "Nami, why don't you get yourself a boyfriend and we can go out on a double date?"

"Or tonight we can all go out as a family," Ienzo compromised, not wanting to leave Nami out. "Me and you, Nami, and Aerith and Even."

While Kairi and Ienzo were now dating, so were Even and Aerith despite the ten year age difference. They could all go out as a family. Even had been keeping Kairi and Aerith at his house, just to get them into an actual home for once.

"Lea, we should even ask if you can come along," Nami said with a smile. "The wheelchair! We can take you on that!"

"Thanks, that's sweet of you," Lea said with a goofy grin.

"Actually, if we're eating out as a family, we should be at a nicer restaurant," Lea suggested. "Maybe that one restaurant that serves all my favorites…_Flaming Stars Buffet_."

"That sounds nice," Nami replied. "Hey! Let's also invite Selphie and Olette! They deserve a nice night out! I'll call them!" She stepped out the room with the phone to her ear.

"Now that we're alone—" Ienzo started, staring into Kairi's eyes. "—Well, with Lea here." He gently laid his lips upon Kairi's as the two enjoyed each other's company. "Let's go! We can get ready and stuff, and then get Lea."

0000000000000

Aerith sat down at the nice table at Even Sunset's place. Even sat down in the seat next to her and smiled. He was back to his old self. Sure, his hair was shortened and scorched in some places, and this skin wasn't the brightest as it used to be, and his platinum blond hair might've been slightly darker, but he still looked good enough to Aerith.

Aerith kissed Even's cheek and looked around the large house. It was almost like a mansion. A chandelier hung above them.

Even's phone rang, and he picked it up and answered. "Hello, Ienzo. Yes…yes…ooh, I see. Splendid idea. See ya later, Ienzo." Even stood up and walked up to Aerith, hugging her.

"What is it, Evs?" Aerith asked, making the grown man blush at his pet nickname. "Aren't you gonna tell moi?"

"Aerith," Even said, a smile on his face. "We're going eat out as a family, as a _true _welcome to our new home and life together. "You and me, Kai and Ienzo, Nami, Selphie, and Olette…even Lea is making a guest appearance."

"Oh really?" Aerith said, chuckling. "That's great! You want me to help pay for it? Wait a minute. I can't. I'm flat broke—"

"I know, I know, that's why I'm paying for everybody," Even replied, taking Aerith's hands in his. "Before you lost all your money, you and I were the richest in town. Now it's just me…gah, I absolutely hate what happened. The room that caught on fire down that alley is the room all the money was is. It all up and burned away."

"Doesn't matter now," Aerith said in her sing song voice, standing up in front of Even, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Because I know I'm well taken care of by you. And, I'm sorry for accusing you of stealing our money. I had no idea Isa was involved in all of this."

"It's alright," Even replied. "We just feared for not only our lives, but your lives as well. But they're all gone."

"Definitely," Aerith said. "Once Kairi and the others get here, we can all get into our most wonderful attires and dress up all fancy for this buffet. It is a buffet, right? I don't wanna eat rich people foods."

Even gripped her wrist and twirled her around, then leaned her over in his arms as if they were dancing. "Yeah, rich people foods are overrated."

There was a steady knock at the door and Selphie and Olette walked in with nice dresses, though not those over-expensive poofy dresses, in their arms.

"Hey, girls," Aerith said with a smile. "Kairi and Nami didn't get here yet. You can wait in the living room for them."

Selphie and Olette nodded and headed to the living room. Once they were gone, Aerith piped up. "I hope you know Kairi is sorta dating Ienzo."

"Is that so?" Even asked.

Aerith continued, "They don't show it around us, but normally they sneak off together and always see each other outside of the house. So that must mean they're either _really_ good friends, or they're in love and dating. That won't cause troubles for us will it?"

"Not a bit," Even replied. "Ienzo's not related to me, so even if we stay together, what him and Kairi are doing is not _wrong _by any means. It'd be messed up if he was my son, but technically, he's not."

"I know, baby, I know," Aerith muttered. "I was just concerned, as a mother. So let's not things be weird between all of us. If they wish to date, we should just let them. Plus yesterday was Kairi's birthday, so she could use a boyfriend now."

"Yeah, I guess," Even replied, and the door opened, letting in Naminé.

Behind her were Kairi and Ienzo. "So? Let's get ready!" Kairi said in the most happiest and upbeat voice ever.

Tonight would be a night to remember.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Entering a restaurant with bright lights shining all inside are the eight 'members' of the new family, despite two only being friends and the two separate families.

Aerith had on a sparkly pink gown while Even wore his white tux and baby blue rose in his tux pocket. Kairi had on a pink dress almost like her mom's with heeled sandals. Naminé had on a long and tight white gown that covered her bare feet. Her hair was flowing in a way it hadn't before.

Selphie had on an orangey dress with yellow flowery flip-flops. Olette had on the exact same thing except the colors were swapped.

Ienzo wore a black button-up shirt and had his hair combed to the side, exposing the other side of his face that had never seen the light of day before, along with what looks like black tap dancing shoes.

Once they were in the restaurant, wheeling himself into the doorway and onto the red carpet of the restaurant was Lea, wearing a simple white t-shirt and jean shorts. He only had socks on that the hospital had provided for him.

They found themselves a table, and each sat on the three cushiony benches around the large rectangular table. Sitting at the wall was Kairi with Ienzo right in front of her. To the side of Kairi was Naminé and to the side of Ienzo was Selphie. Olette sat next to Naminé and Aerith helped Lea sit next to Selfie. Sitting on the bench to the left of the table and not near a wall were Aerith and Even, side-by-side.

"This is nice," Aerith said in a calming voice. "I'm glad we did this. Now we can sit like a normal family." She looked to Selphie and Olette. "You two are allowed to stay at our house at any time."

"Um, hello, the owner of _our_ house is sitting right here," Even replied with a laugh.

"Thank you Miss Gainsborough," Selphie and Olette replied in unison.

"Now, I have an announcement to make," Even said with a wide smile. "Now, as you know, Aerith and I are inseparable. We have figured out that you, Kairi and Ienzo, are also going out as well."

"What?" Ienzo asked. "How'd you figure that—?"

"Doesn't matter," Even replied. "No matter what happens, the two of us support you two in any possible way. Now, for my announcement…" He dug in his pocket and took out a small silver box, and wrapped his arm around Aerith. "Aerith Janelle Gainsborough, will you…" He clicked open the box, revealing a beautiful shiny ring. "…marry me?"

"Whoa!" Aerith shouted, snatching the box from Even. "This is all so sudden though…but I accept. Now this really is a…" She wiped a tear from her eye. "…a night to remember. Right?"

"Right!" Lea shouted. "Now, there's a waitress!"

A waitress appeared at the table with a clipboard and said, "Hello? What would each of you like to drink?"

Aerith and Even muttered simultaneously, "Diet coke."

Everyone told the waitress what drinks they wanted, until Lea said something that stopped everyone in their tracks. "Yes, I'd like a glass of champagne, please."

"Coming right up," the waitress muttered, walking away.

"Lea Kasai," Aerith said with an upset frown. "I thought you were going to stay sober. You can't drink any alcoholic beverage anymore because of that gang you were a part of."

"That's crap, Mom!" Lea shouted. "It'll only be a little. Just a little to celebrate Even's proposal. Please, Momma! I won't become an alcoholic again! I promise!"

"Fine," Aerith snapped back. "Only one glass, nothing more. If I see beer at the house ever, then I'll call an intervention and send you to rehab. You got that?"

"Yes, understood," Lea said, and the drinks arrived at the table. "Now then…let's go get our food!"

.

When everybody was satisfied with their food, Lea had finished his champagne and stared his mother dead in the eyes. "See? One glass isn't gonna harm me."

"Yes, but don't make it turn into habit," a voice said from behind Lea, and the group of eight noticed a girl standing behind Lea. She had long black hair and sunglasses, but for some reason she seemed awfully familiar. "You know what that does to you. Am I right?"

"I'm sorry, do we know you?" Aerith asked.

"No, you don't," the woman replied, and walked around the table and over to Aerith. "But I know you. Aerith Gainsborough and Even Sunset? Talk about a power couple. Let me get one thing straight. How can the media not know about this?"

"Keeping it on the down low," Even replied with a smile. "Now if you don't mind, we'd like to have dinner in peace. Thank you."

"Don't mind me, I was just here to see an old friend," she said calmly, and then smirked, staring straight at Lea. "Got it memorized?"

Lea slammed his hand down on the table, making the dishes and utensils clatter against the glass. "Why are you here? Um… I'm sorry guys, I have to go rendezvous with a friend of mine."

"Ooh, goody, I love when a man does what he's told," the woman said laughing. "Now, Lea, let's go catch up." She approached the back of Lea and grabbed hold of his wheelchair. She wheeled him away and out of the restaurant, leaving the rest of the group to ponder who that woman was.

When she brought him outside, the moon shining brightly, and the night air blowing briskly on the backs of their necks. The woman started laughing and said, "When are you ever gonna give up this charade? You've already got Aqua and your family to believe your sorry ass."

Lea's eye twitched, and stood before the woman. For a man whose two legs were paralyzed, he seemed to walk very well with them, considering he stalked right up to the woman and clutched his warm fist around the woman's throat.

"Do you even see yourself now?" the woman asked. "The second they see you like this, it'll confuse them. And then what, Kasai?"

"What are you doing here?" Lea asked. "You escaped before the blast got you. No way…did you bring Braig to safety?"

"Not on your life," the woman smiled, gripping Lea's wrist and pulling it away from her neck, relieving her. She stroked Lea's face and licked her lips. "To be honest, I have no idea nor do I care how Braig is even alive right now. Heck, how are _you_ still alive? The blast got your legs and you recovered very swiftly."

"Why are you here…" Lea asked. The woman took off her sunglasses and tossed them aside, and then grabbed hold of her hair and yanked it off, and short blonde hair was visible. "…Arlene?"

"Wow, wow, give the man a prize," Arlene snickered. "You are absolutely the best guesser in the world! I had Aerith and Naminé as hostages and they couldn't recognize me. How sad. I was hoping for conflict. Oh well."

"Why are you _here_!?" Lea snapped again.

"Wow, you just won't give up, will you?" Arlene asked. "Lea, what I am doing here is keeping an eye on you. You…you managed to somehow get rid of all of Isa's men. You forgot one thing. I'm also one of his."

"I didn't know," Lea retaliated. "And I don't care. But why are you here, really? Not just to keep watch, I'm sure."

"To do this, actually," Arlene muttered, and then kicked Lea in the leg rather softly, yet Lea still fell to the ground on his knee, and once his knee hit the ground, he completely fell over, his head hitting the pavement. "You may have pretended to be paralyzed, but your legs are still pretty much outta shape."

She bent down, gripped his wrist, and yanked Lea up, when she further pushed on Lea's chest as he fell into his wheelchair.

"Arlene Tsukita, what is the real reason you're—"

"I am here to inform you," Arlene started, evilness forming in her eyes. "To revive the Midnight Crusaders. You don't know how long I've waited for that bastard to die. I will make a newer, better version of the Crusaders. And it's all to get back at you and Isa for ruining everything."

"We didn't ruin everything—"

"Let me finish, Red," Arlene replied, anger forming upon her face. "When you broke up with me, you headed to Isa's. You lit his house on _freaking fire_! I went there, unaware of what happened, and I saw the house completely destroyed. He said you did this and that you left. Then he tried to _kill _me. The only way I could stay alive was to join him."

"So you're blaming us—?"

"Exactly, Red," Arlene said, face lighting up again. "So I've been plotting my revenge. Now. Why am I telling you all this? Because I trust you, Red. I know you. I'm gonna be heading to your school. And there is where I'll be doing some serious reconnaissance."

"Leave," Lea commanded, and started wheeling his chair towards the door. "And don't ever come next to my family."

"You see," Arlene said, putting the long black wig back on her head, and then lifting the sunglasses off of the ground and placed them back on. "I don't like following orders. I used to be a scared thirteen year old girl when you and Isa had your fight. So I thought I would die. But now…I am no longer afraid of anyone." She turned her back to Lea and started walking off.

"I mean it, Arlene!" Lea screamed, not caring if anyone heard or not. "Stay away."

"Whatever, Red. But if you don't tell your family about your little lie, then you've betrayed their trust," Arlene replied, and was out of sight.

.

When Lea returned to his table, of course everyone started asking questions. Not much happened to the family, and they left the restaurant after an hour. When they got back to Even's place, Selphie and Olette left, leaving the rest behind.

Lea had Aerith drive him back to the hospital, because after what Arlene told him, he didn't want to face his family for fear he may reveal his secret. _But if you don't tell your family about your little lie, then you've betrayed their trust._

When it was night out, Lea stood up from his bed and paced around on his aching legs. "Arlene's full of crap," he said to himself, trying to keep quiet.

.

Ienzo sat with Kairi in his room, and they felt another make out session coming on. Of course Ienzo wouldn't try anything that could get him and Kairi kicked out the house, but he felt closer to Kairi than with anyone else he's ever been with.

So close that he may have stayed kissing her for longer than expecting and 'accidentally' lost his shirt somewhere on the floor. The door creaked open, and standing in the doorway was Nami. Thank goodness it wasn't Even or Aerith.

"Am I interrupting?" Nami asked, trying to turn quickly around to avoid the two seeing her blushing of embarrassment.

"No, no, you weren't," Ienzo muttered, diving to the floor to grab his shirt and then pulling it back over his head and onto his body. "Don't worry. Um…this never happened?"

"Never," Nami and Kairi replied in unison, and the three walked out the door together.

It was around midnight. Aerith and Even were off to bed and Pluto was sleeping soundly on the couch. It was quiet and peaceful. Well, until a slow and steady tap came at the door.

Kairi stared through the window and saw a woman there with bright red hair and red lipstick on that stuck out like a sore thumb. Her trench coat blew about in the wind.

Ienzo muttered, "Don't trust her…"

"It's alright," Kairi replied, and opened the door. The only lock on the door that was locked was the chain that attached the door to the wall. So even if the woman tried a stunt, she couldn't get through. "You're here for Lea, aren't you?"

"Just give him this," the lady said in a very realistic German accent. He held out a slip of paper through the wide crack in the door, which Kairi grabbed quickly. "Do not open it up. If he shows you, that's his decision. Now good day to you."

She walked off without saying anything more, and Kairi shut the door. "That was weird," Nami replied. "What do we do?"

"I'll go give it to Lea tomorrow," Kairi said. "But until then, can we just go watch a movie and act like a family?"

"I call dibs on the couch!" Ienzo said with a smile, rushing to the living room and shouting, "Outta the way, Pluto!" And Ienzo pushed Pluto off the couch and lay down, flicking on the TV. Kairi and Nami joined him.

Despite all the weird things that happened, they finally felt like a family. They even stayed up all night long into the morning. Stayed asleep until five in the afternoon, but at least they were together like a family.

And Kairi did bring the slip of paper to Lea.

And little did she know, standing outside the hospital was the red headed woman, tearing off her wig and revealing her blond hair. Arlene walked away smirking as Kairi exited the hospital.

.

.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: Hey! The story comes to a close. Yes, I know it's a short story but I am not one for filler. There will be one more chapter to this, but it'll be a preview for next story of mine as well as some (possible) news on future stories. Well...yeah! Goodbye for now...**


	6. Preview: Abuse

**_Abuse: _****__****_{Preview}_**

**_Cue Music: Another Side (on YouTube if you want!)_**

**A figure walked alone down a dark street, spikey hair bouncing up and down as he follows his pray. He looks ahead and sees ****_her._****Her blond hair flying in the wind as the girl tried to get away.**

**Words flashed through the girl's mind. **

**"****Hello, who are you?"**

**"****The name's Vanitas."**

**"****Wait, what? Braig's escaped?"**

**"****What are you planning now, Arlene?"**

**"****Are you responsible for this?"**

**"****Let me out!"**

**"****Sora, you are arrested under suspicion of stalking and kidnapping minor."**

**"****But it wasn't me!"**

**"****Nami, where are you?"**

**"****What are ****_you _****doing here?"**

**"****My name is…Xion."**

**"****Come on, I'm busting you out of here."**

**"****As if I'm ever gonna help you!"**

**"****I'm going to tear you limb from limb if we don't see Nami again!"**

**"****I'm innocent, you have to believe me!"**

**"****Innocent until proven guilty."**

**"****Please…help me. Please…"**

**In a dark room, a blond haired girl opens her crystal blue eyes as tears start forming. The door behind her opens, and stepping in is a figure in dark clothing.**

**"…****.help."**

**The room fades to black.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**And that's the preview for my next story, titled 'Abuse', the second title in my Twilight High series. If you can take those quotes and kind of piece together what might happen in the story, by all means, try and figure it out. I'm not sure when I'll start posting the story. **

**Now, a fellow FanFiction user gave me an interesting idea that I am considering doing. First, let me say something. If you're reading this now, chances are, you've read all of Betrayal. But! That story showed mostly Kairi and Lea's point of views on the events that occurred.**

**Well, now I can make a story detailing the events of this one, through ISA's point of view, and see what he did the entire time of the story. That story will be in first person point of view, unlike this one.**

**Anyway, thank you, person who gave me this idea. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to credit you, but you can say so in the review that it was you if you want. I will be doing this rewrite alongside 'Abuse', so it may not be out every week, depending on my mood.**

**Anyway…thank you for reading! I hope to write a LOT more in the future!**

**Stay tuned….**


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